Hollymount community group seek to erect sculpture of IRA member Frank Stagg near his birthplace
The late Frank Stagg, who died while on hunger strike in England
A community group in south Mayo are seeking to erect a sculpture of IRA hunger striker Frank Stagg near his birthplace.
White Gates Development and Enhancement Committee have applied for a Section 5 declaration to allow a small strip of land outside Hollymount to be developed into a public amenity.
Seán O’Raghallaigh, secretary of White Gates Development and Enhancement Committee, said the existing strip of land along the R331 at Bloomfield, Hollymount, is ‘unsightly’ and ‘a poor reflection of the local community’.
The proposals lodged to Mayo County Council consist of landscaping, outdoor seating, paving, a biodiversity area and a sculpture of Frank Stagg, who grew up less than 500 metres away from the land in question.
According to an application form submitted to Mayo County Council on July 22, the statue will be placed on a two-metre high mount, will not exceed two metres in height and will not be illuminated.
The site is located on the main road between Claremorris and Ballinrobe. A statue of the renowned academic and sport scientist, Tom Reilly, currently stands on the Claremorris side of the village.
Mr O’Reilly said their proposal was designed with ‘due consideration to traffic safety, biodiversity, and also with a view to provide an attractive community area’.
The land in question is in the public realm and was formerly occupied by a road before it was developed over 40 years ago. The land has been left idle and underdeveloped since.
A decision on the application to develop the land is due on Monday, August 18.
Born the seventh child of a family of thirteen in Hollymount, Frank Stagg died after a 62-day hunger strike in Wakefield Prison, England on February 12, 1976.